Healthy Skepticism Library item: 17472

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: news

Armstrong D, Burton TM
Medtronic Paid Researcher More Than $20,000 -- Much More
The Wall Street Journal 2009 Jan 16
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123206035479087601.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Full text:

A prominent spine surgeon and researcher at the University of Wisconsin received $19 million in payment over five years from Medtronic Inc., one of the country’s largest makers of spinal devices, according to a senator who is investigating potential conflicts of interest in medicine.

The surgeon, Thomas Zdeblick, received the payments while helping Medtronic develop and promote a number of spinal products. Medtronic’s $19 million in payments to Dr. Zdeblick from 2003 to 2007 went “greatly” beyond what was evident in disclosures he made to the university, Sen. Charles Grassley said in a Jan. 12 letter to Kevin P. Reilly, …